The Weston Democrat is our weekly local newspaper for Lewis County. For the last seven weeks, we have had representatives present statements to the local Lewis County Commission regarding fracking and its probable damage to the local economy, way of life and homes of residents. Below are scans of the recent newspaper – November 5th, 2014. We urge you to read this coverage, for which we thank Allison Clark profusely. And if you are concerned and interested, please come to the Public Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 11th at Jackson’s Mill which is between Weston and Jane Lew in Lewis County – 6 to 8 p.m. Also, check out the Appalachian Chronicle of Michael Barrick for his latest article on our group and our efforts. See my La Paix Herb Farm Facebook page for this article’s link.

I’m sorry this is just too fuzzy to read – so please go to my La Paix Herb Farm Facebook Page for more details.

Today, with Bill’s help we finished prepping the Rosemary cut branches for plugs, distillation, drying Rosemary for culinary uses, and juicing the apples left by the voracious yellow jackets. Above is the herbs culled for drying and the prepared plugs of Rosemary for growing out. The Rosemary that looks best, is prepared by taking at least l/3rd of the leaves off a fairly straight stalk, leaving the stalks in willow water for a while and then putting them in soil.

Whiskers, Bill’s rescued cat perches on the big red box of composted soil which is the winter beds of some of the lavender plugs which are growing out. I will put some plastic over them Friday as it is predicted that there will be a freeze then. On the bench in the background, the only herb left still out is the parsley and a crock of Rosemary branches to be used for distillation later. They too rest in water doctored with willow leaves and twigs. Willow has aspirin in it and this use to give energy to plugs is one used many many years. I find it works and get about 75% success in making them into new plants.

Because we are planning to move from La Paix Herb Farm due to the threat of fracking nearby, we are trying to devise methods of keeping plants and plugs so that they are both winter hardy and we can take them with us when we leave. So the lavender plugs are sunk up to the top of their pots in soil and they will be heated slightly when the weather is below 32 degrees. So, when we move, we can just pull up the pots, put them in trays and hope they can be planted where we go. There are about 50 pots in the big red box and 25 more or so in the plastic topped box (see extreme right of 2nd photo subsequent photos) and about 25 more here and there under lights in the house. Rosemary will die if kept in a warm dry house. It thrives in the glass greenhouse covered with plastic in the backyard if it gets a little heat when the temperature is below 20 degrees.

I couldn’t resist taking some of the plugs from the Rosemary and doing this experiment. First, the Greenhouse, as you saw yesterday, is full, so that’s out as a winter home. So, I thought there is this small row in the middle of the Plastic Greenhouse in the Kitchen Garden – why can’t I buy window boxes (on sale now) and plant them in the window boxes which Bill will dig in up to their tops in the Plastic Greenhouse.? So, we’re trying that. I may have put too many in this box – I usually just do one plug in each 3 inch pot, but this is an experiment done so that if we move we can take the plugs with us!

Here are the Rosemary plugs in one of the two window boxes in the plastic greenhouse. Lavender plugs in foreground.

You can see all the plugs here – I probably put way too many in the Rosemary plug window box on the left middle. But it is an experiment!

My son, Bill, who did all the heavy lifting and filling of the window boxes with mostly compost from 7 Springs, thinks it will work!

And to continue on our winter lay away plan, Bill fills 5 more window boxes up to the brim with compost and soil for the garlic. I usually plant garlic on Halloween but Halloween is going to be quite cold, so he started today and put 4 cloves each in each of the first two boxes. The cloves are from harvest of this past year and some from the year before. I just can’t bear to leave La Paix without some garlic planted for our new place which I hope will be nice and even gardened organically too. Thirty four years of growing organically here – the soil is so rich – it is so friable – well, if the Universe is telling me (and I’m pretty sure it is) that I have to drop some old ways of thinking and being and start a new journey, I guess I can do it again. But I’m going to take what I can with me.

We will cover the garlic cloves, which will be planted 3 inches deep, with new compost from this year, leaves and wire fencing to keep the leaves from blowing. We have three more boxes to plant tomorrow – that’s 4 cloves in each box for a total of only 20 bulbs – but we can grow from there.

We harvested the butternut squash which I hadn’t known I planted and look forward to that wonderful butternut squash soup this winter (and saving the seeds – we already saved the pumpkin seeds last weekend) and I finally got to steal the fallen apples from the yellow jackets early this morning because they had been rained on and it was still raining a little. I will now go down and cut them up for apple juice. It is the Allegheny Black Twig Apple – delicious but pretty funny looking – they have fire blight and squirrels and birds and bees to contend with.

I guess I look like an old apple too – no bites out of me though – so far……

I wish you all a fine and healthy harvest – not only of food for the table but food for thought and memories of the smells and feel and look of the earth, its plants and trees. Aren’t we blessed?

If anyone would like a Rosemary plug please message me here or on the La Paix Herb Farm Facebook page.

On October 26th and 27th I was privileged to walk in the fall of La Paix Herb Farm’s woods with first, my son and granddaughter and on the 27th with two wise women – Goddesses in fact, from Charleston West Virginia

My son, William Hale (Bill) and his daughter, my granddaughter Aijah walked with me in the woods – the last of Fall. It was a lovely walk, celebrating all God’s wisdom and beauty – all the Gods and all the Prophets –

Aijah and Bill admire the oak tree which was struck by lightening separating its trunk about 20 years ago. I think the oak looks quite grounded!

They scraped leaves from the bridge to make my path safer.

The woods at the first level where there are benches to sit on and ponder nature were quite stunning.

Aijah found some mushrooms on a rotting log.

It was a truly lovely day at La Paix. So peaceful and serene.

Then on Sunday Ashley Wiley and Nikki Hoffman, Goddesses from Charleston, WV came to stroll the woods, seek its magic, commune with nature and me – we had dinner (pesto pasta) later with wine and then told each others runes. We all learned something – alot of somethings actually.

Nikki brought her stones to clarify in La Paix’s magical woods. Torma seems to be trying to comfort Nikki. She has a special way with animals. Ashley looks on.

Torma seems to be saying, “You’ve placed your special items, not its time for me.”

Nikki meditates on the forest before her while Torma and Bill’s cat Whiskers accompany her.

Ashley comforts Whiskers, the cat, who certainly enjoyed the journey.

At the end of the journey Ashley and Nikki discovered an elf or fairy house in the path. What or Who do you think lives there?

Thank you all for such a blessed day with such wonderful exciting and meditative people (and dog, and cat). Love, Myra

It was certainly in the woods yesterday – Love, Peace and Joy. Know it when you see it, Take a photo if just in your mind, and Remember it always.